Recessed lighting fixtures are commonplace in residential homes and commercial buildings. A recessed lighting fixture typically has a metal housing or can, an electrical junction box, and a conical-shaped recessed trim piece to direct and reflect the lighting emitted by a bulb that is in a bulb holder or socket. The recessed lighting can is installed above the ceiling in a building or house so that the opening in the can and trim are flush with the ceiling. The light is recessed into the ceiling.
The can with a junction box and other hardware are suspended by a pair of hanger bars extending parallel and on opposite sides of the assembly. The hanger bar is typically stamped from steel and is length-adjustable by a telescopic action. The opposite ends of the hanger bar, which resemble ears, are configured to attach to the ceiling support structure.
Specifically, one type of standard ceiling is supported by joists, and the recessed lighting fixture is mounted onto the joists via the hanger bars. When the joists are made of wood or concrete, for example, the hanger bars are usually mounted to the joists with nails, screws or other standard mounting means. The weight of the light fixture is thereby supported by the joists through the hanger bars.
Alternatively, the ceiling may be of the “drop down” or suspended type. A drop down ceiling is a secondary ceiling often formed to conceal piping, wiring, HVAC, and/or the floor above. The drop down ceiling typically consists of a grid-work of metal channels in the shape of an upside-down “T,” suspended on wires from an overhead structure. The channels snap together in a regularly spaced pattern, and the resulting cells are filled with lightweight “acoustic ceiling tiles” or “panels” dropped into the grid. Light fixtures may be installed into the grid as desired.
The hanger bars of light fixtures sometimes include a clamp or adapter formed into the hanger bar to attach to the T-bars of a drop down ceiling. These clamps or adapters are sometimes an unnecessary appendage. For example, when installing a light fixture onto a joist of a standard ceiling rather than onto a drop down ceiling, the installer may choose to use a nail or other fastner to secure the assembly in place on the joist. The clamps or adapters are then unnecessary and may even get in the way during installation. Since they are formed as part of the hanger bar, they cannot be removed or detached.